Tuesday 17 May 2016

APJ Abdul Kalam's grandnephew campaigns for BJP

RAMESHWARAM: "Had it not been for the BJP, Kalam wouldn't have been the president. Muslims of Tamil Nadu need to know who backs them and who uses them," says the multi-initialled APJMJ Sheik Saleem, former president APJ Abdul Kalam's grandnephew and an indefatigable campaigner for the party. Alongside him is his grandfather APJ Marakaiyer, the late Kalam's brother.
Saleem campaigned with the BJP national secretary H Raja in T Nagar and elsewhere.

RAMESHWARAM:

In the former president's ancestral home located on Mosque Street in Rameshwaram, Marakaiyer's 100th birthday celebrations are being discussed.

"Kalam thatha (grandfather) had told the Meghalaya governor that he wanted to celebrate his elder brother's birthday in a grand way. In a way that was his last wish. We are preparing for that," Saleem says.

The large family--nieces, nephew, grandchildren--keeps close watch on a large TV screen in the living room showing live images from the Kalam memorial next door that was set up after his death last year.

Saleem says more than 2,000 people visit it everyday and it takes constant monitoring to keep things in check.

The family is also embroiled in a bitter fight with Kalam's adviser V.Ponraj over the former president's legacy. Ponraj had sought to float a party in the former president's name.

"It was his old brother's instructions that we file a case against that," Saleem says. "Kalam is beyond (any) political party. The family wants to protect his wish to not be associated with any political party.

Ten years later, people should remember him as the people's president, not any politician associated with any party."

Others too have tried to trade on Kalam's name. The Election Commission of India recently rejected one such group's proposal to float a party in Kalam's name, after which they switched to Mahatma Gandhi.

But this need to keep Kalam apolitical has apparently not stopped Saleem from campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party this election season, accompanying party leaders on their rallies in Chennai.

Before joining the BJP officially last year, he says he had already spoke to Kalam in 2014 about his interest in the party. "He had no problems with it," Saleem says. "All he wanted me to do was to work with the people of Rameshwaram and become a respectable leader so that they will vote for me. "

Saleem campaigned with the BJP national secretary H Raja in T Nagar and elsewhere. "I want to tell the Muslims of the state to not fall into the trap of thinking the party is against them," he says. "They should remember when Kalam was buried here, the entire BJP leadership including the PM was here. They heeded to every request of ours including his funeral being held here and also a memorial."

Not just Muslims, all the people of Rameshwaram should think of the corruption-free India that the BJP can deliver, he said.

Saleem's father and Kalam's nephew Jainulabdeen, who has been part of the DMK youth wing, doesn't want to criticise parties but has this advice for Muslims and the people of Rameshwaram: "Generally the world is looking up to us now. Now is the time to get your share of development."

He says both the Dravidian parties have hurt public interest by asking for bribes from the poor. "I have friends in both DMK and AIADMK," Jainulabdeen says. "That said, Tamil Nadu needs a change."

Saleem does feel the Centre needs to do much more to keep Kalam's memories alive.

"Just a memorial won't do. Kalam was a man of action. I wish the Centre could help take his schemes of promoting science he says.

"Awards under his name, especially for science achievers and conferences would also do so much to take his vision forward."

It is only now the BJP has realised its potential in Tamil Nadu and much work needs to be done for the party to grow in the state, he says.

"People here know only two symbols (DMK and AIADMK). The Centre should bring its schemes here and make people aware how much it can do for them."

The BJP, which made its Tamil Nadu debut in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with one seat as part of an alliance, is contesting on its own this time in the
state. All party seniors, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, ministers Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Piyush Goyal, Smriti Irani and Prakash Javadekar have been touring the state ahead of elections scheduled on Monday.

Saleem dismissed reports about movies being made on Kalam. "It has just been a year, so we are not getting into anything like that," he says. "We are already in talks with music director AR Rahman for
the first movie on Kalam. We have signed an MoU with him. He is the only one who can do justice to him, as he knew the former president well and had great respect for him."

Saleem, who now runs the Abdul Kalam Foundation, was working in Delhi with Kalam as his assistant till 2010, after which he came back to Rameshwaram. Today, he runs a small business on the second
floor of the Kalam house where he sells articles such as conch shells and other souvenirs.

Kalam's ancestors once operated ferry services to transport pilgrims coming to Pamban in Ramanathapuram by boat centuries ago, when there was no bridge between the mainland and the island. This was how they got the family title 'Mara Kalam Iyakkivers,' referring to the wooden boats, which over the years became Marakier. Their fortunes declined when a bridge was laid across the sea connecting the mainland to the island.

Apart from running the Kalam house, the family maintains the nearby Mohaindeen Andavar mosque and also give free food to the poor during the month of Ramzan, just like Kalam did, a neighbour said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/tamil-nadu-polls-ex-president-apj-abdul-kalams-grand-nephew-elder-brother-campaign-for-bjp-say-change-needed/articleshow/52284676.cms

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